SERVING THE QUANTITATIVE FINANCE COMMUNITY

var1979
Topic Author
Posts: 12
Joined: September 6th, 2002, 12:59 pm

Mathematics Via Distance Learning

Dear All I would like to study mathematics but due to the age factor i cant go back to school, does anyone of you know any university which has distance learning program in Mathematics at undergraduate level. I am residing in Pakistan.

quantmeh
Posts: 5974
Joined: April 6th, 2007, 1:39 pm

Mathematics Via Distance Learning

it wont work.check out "open courseware" (OCW) in MIT

DominicConnor
Posts: 11684
Joined: July 14th, 2002, 3:00 am

Mathematics Via Distance Learning

The CQF has a distance learning module for financial maths.

kc11415
Posts: 371
Joined: March 16th, 2003, 10:02 pm
Location: United States

Mathematics Via Distance Learning

Is your primary interest to gain a credential or to learn math?If your interest is a credential, then distance learning is a young field which is not yet given the same weight as traditional education, and is often run as a revenue-generating operation for those organizations which run them.The age constraint against going back to school seems applicable in most countries, except one of which I'm aware. I'm inclined to think the USA has the most/best options for students returning to school after the tradtional age, but shall we assume emigration is not a practical option for you?If learning math is more important to you than gaining a credential, then learning it in a non-traditonal manner is doable, but may take several times longer than in a formal academic environment. The MIT OCW suggestion is something I would agree with. (Gilbert Strang's enthusiasm for Linear Algebra is contagious.) Additionally, you might also seek some form of non-academic ancillary employment at a college/university in in order to gain access to a library. Once there, look into somehow ingratiating yourself to either math faculty or grad students to attempt to arrange some sort of informal quid pro quo arrangmement where you volunteer your own unpaid time to do something for them in exchange for coaching from them. An alternative to a college might be some sort of profesional organization or business with at least a few math-oriented professionals. You don't need an organization full of PhD's. You might be able to get by with just a few or even one with a good library.

var1979
Topic Author
Posts: 12
Joined: September 6th, 2002, 12:59 pm

Mathematics Via Distance Learning

i would like to study further in financial mathematics but my problem is that i dont have much maths in my studies soo far, so i am confuse what to do, the only thing i can think off is to sit for acturial exam and see where i can go after that.

capafan2
Posts: 924
Joined: June 20th, 2009, 11:26 am

QuoteOriginally posted by: var1979i would like to study further in financial mathematics but my problem is that i dont have much maths in my studies soo far, so i am confuse what to do, the only thing i can think off is to sit for acturial exam and see where i can go after that.You have several choices.1. Take the actuary exams atleast the initial part-Gets your basic probability, statistics and linear algebra in order2. Take the PRM exam - (Maybe)- It will make you aware of math applications in Risk. Knowing one application area helps a lot. Good bang for the buck.3. UPenn has a certificate in Applied Statistics (http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/AppliedS ... dule.shtml) which has practical content like SAS which you might find useful. It is not very expensive (like $6000 I think). You will learn a decent amount of statistics which you can apply well in several places.4. MIT Courseware is great but I have never been able to get through it. You need a lot of passion for that kind of study which I presume you do not have. Interest yes but obsession probably not.5. Maybe you can try to get CUDA certified. Not that certification matters but it allows me to focus better when I have to take a test. And try implementing CUDA for some math problem. That will get you introduced to Mathematical programming. CUDA has applications in computational biology, medical imaging all of which do not attack Phd in large numbers and also currently do not pay like finance. But there is a lot of future.I hope you are planning on doing this as a means of picking up math for broader reasons apart from being a quant and making millions. That is something with your background you will never achieve. However with good math and related programming background you could find a profession with more longevity than just mickey mouse java based web programming. I entered data mining and I see longer future in this area. PM me if you like. quantmeh Posts: 5974 Joined: April 6th, 2007, 1:39 pm Mathematics Via Distance Learning QuoteOriginally posted by: capafan24. MIT Courseware is great but I have never been able to get through it. exactly. it's not impossible to learn math online, but nobody can. especially after teen-ages. there's some sort of self-filtering: if you don't know math by 18-20 y.o., then it's not meant to. var1979 Topic Author Posts: 12 Joined: September 6th, 2002, 12:59 pm Mathematics Via Distance Learning well i do know alot of it, but the problem is that i dont have any undergrad degree to get into MS in quant finance program, all the uni's tell me to get into applied finance but not mathematical finance, thats the problem. ACD Posts: 107 Joined: April 19th, 2004, 8:09 am Mathematics Via Distance Learning QuoteOriginally posted by: var1979well i do know alot of it, but the problem is that i dont have any undergrad degree to get into MS in quant finance program, all the uni's tell me to get into applied finance but not mathematical finance, thats the problem.Try the Open University They offer a Maths BSc. and MSc. via distance learning. I was in similar situation as you and took that route (albeit from the UK) to obtain a BSc. and MSc. in Maths while working. The degrees are not tailored towards finance however to it's very useful to have background knowledge in what topics are best to pick for finance (e.g. knowing that Fluid mechanics is useful because that is where the p.d.e. material is taught). You can do it at your own pace but realistically don't expect to do it in less than 3 years (basically doing full time education in your spare time) and 6 years is probably a more reasonable estimate if you are working. brownte Posts: 2 Joined: August 12th, 2010, 2:52 pm Mathematics Via Distance Learning QuoteOriginally posted by: capafan2QuoteOriginally posted by: var19793. UPenn has a certificate in Applied Statistics (http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/AppliedS ... dule.shtml) which has practical content like SAS which you might find useful. It is not very expensive (like$6000 I think). You will learn a decent amount of statistics which you can apply well in several places.I think you mean Penn State - Texas A&M has a similar Stats program online.

capafan2
Posts: 924
Joined: June 20th, 2009, 11:26 am

Mathematics Via Distance Learning

QuoteOriginally posted by: quantmehQuoteOriginally posted by: capafan24. MIT Courseware is great but I have never been able to get through it. exactly. it's not impossible to learn math online, but nobody can. especially after teen-ages. there's some sort of self-filtering: if you don't know math by 18-20 y.o., then it's not meant to.Generally listening to recorded lectures is an awful way to learn. Going to school is fun because it presents an opportunity to interact with faculty and classmates as well as provides a competitive atmosphere. All that helps in the learning process. Recorded lectures simply take away that dimension.If you are really passionate about math you would be reading a bit and spending a lot of time solving problems. People who do the other way around are just forcing themselves to learn. Nothing wrong with that- just that it implies you need to bring some externally enforced discipline into the process for it to be successful.

nyasha
Posts: 32
Joined: November 29th, 2005, 10:49 pm

Mathematics Via Distance Learning

var1979, I'd heartily recommend Schaum's Outlines, as they have tonnes of examples and worked problems. I would also recommend a book called 'How To Think Like A Mathematician' by Kevin Houston. I know you can get cheap editions of books over there, and I'd really recommend this as an alternative to distance learning. Check out the major UK mathematics departments for tests and lecture notes to consolidate what you learn from the books. I suspect that trying to learn everything online will be much more difficult, and you won't get to enjoy the wonderful weather or cafes, which are the perks of learning Maths! The only thing is: give yourself targets, rewards, and plan your study as though you were studying for exams. As an additional layer, try coding the stuff for fun, especially linear algebra, discrete mathematics and numerical methods. Once you're confident enough, go back to the unis and tell them you're happy to take a test as you've been preparing. Just make sure you've covered the exam material on the university websites first. Its tough but if you're committed then you can do it.

029
Posts: 39
Joined: March 2nd, 2007, 6:39 am

Mathematics Via Distance Learning

there's a (distance learning) graduate diploma programme in mathematics at the lse (univserity of london), i have been reading some of their lecture materials over the last couple of years (more for fun than anything) and they are pretty decent: nothing new if you have a solid maths foundation already but well written...